Article ranks NMSU 2nd-most dangerous campus

Officials call article 'irresponsible'

LAS CRUCES - Carrying two coffee drinks during a break between classes, Nick Brandt said a controversial article has been gaining traction lately among his friends on social media.

It's titled "The 25 Most Dangerous Colleges in America," and its writers describe New Mexico State University as the second-most dangerous college in the country.

The article, which also lists UNM at No. 8 and has UTEP unranked, has generated buzz in Facebook circles, with some worrying about the safety at the school and many doubting the veracity of the article.

For Brandt, and other students who spoke to the Sun-News, that characterization of NMSU doesn't fit with his experience.

"I've never had a problem," said Brandt, a 22-year-old marketing major in his third year at the school.

Brandt added he feels "very" safe at NMSU.

The opinion of NMSU Police Department chief Stephen Lopez is equally clear. He said Monday that describing NMSU as the nation's second-most dangerous college is "irresponsible" and the result of "lazy research."

First, Lopez noted, safety is subjective. A person, for example, who had property stolen on campus likely would have a different perspective on NMSU's safety than a person who hasn't been the victim of any crime there. He feels safe letting his wife and children walk around campus, though he understands those with different experiences might not.

Second, and perhaps more pertinent to Lopez's criticism of the aforementioned article, is that the writers used data compiled by the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program.

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The crime data are accurate, as Lopez acknowledged, but the FBI specifically warns about using the data as a means to rank the safety or effectiveness of jurisdictions and institutions because "rankings ignore the uniqueness of each locale" and create misconceptions which can have adverse effects. In fact, browsing through data from multiple years elicited a pop-up on the FBI website, repeating the warning about rankings.

In a prepared statement, NMSU said: "The safety and security of our students, faculty and staff is our top priority at New Mexico State University. To call NMSU dangerous is a mischaracterization of the data."

Officials from other local law enforcement agencies said NMSU doesn't have a reputation of being dangerous.

Las Cruces Police Department spokesperson Dan Trujillo, who once worked for NMSU, said he was "shocked" by the report because he has "never not felt safe on campus."

Kelly Jameson, spokeswoman for the Doña Ana Sheriff's Department, said that on a day-to-day basis, deputies don't see NMSU as unsafe.

However, she added that deputies "don't look forward" to certain events, such as Aggie football games. Tailgating and traveling rival fans can lead to a hectic time out in the parking lots, she said. Jameson said deputies attributed that to the larger volume of people in the area. NMSU often relies on help from other law enforcement agencies during large events.

Earlier this season, during the NMSU game against rival UNM, a woman in the south stands near several small children was hit in the leg by a stray bullet. She suffered a minor flesh wound.

Lopez added that the questionable article, which appeared on businessinsider.com, included "very minor" property crimes in its assessment.

As an example, Lopez cited a vandalized traffic sign on campus. Somebody wrote "hate" on it. When read together the red sign says, "stop hate."

Lopez said that while the act is considered vandalism, and a crime, it's not something that most people would see as an indication of danger. "That's actually a very positive social message," Lopez said, adding that it "also happens to be damaging to property."

To police officers such as Lopez, comparing data between NMSU and other institutions serves no useful purpose. A school such as UTEP might have certain similar demographics that would compel comparisons, he said, but it also has significant differences. For example, Lopez said that NMSU has more students living on campus, including some in family housing, and an early college high school campus. All those factors make the types of crime reported at NMSU different than other institutions.

Lopez said useful comparisons to NMSU police come from analyzing what happens on campus from year to year. They look for trends that way, and adjust accordingly.

Lopez has served at NMSU for 25 years. He said the university police have crime data back to 1989 and NMSU was among the first colleges to participate in the FBI's UCR Program, which formed in 1930.

He said underage drinking and drug use remain challenging issues, though was quick to point out they are not problems among the majority of students on campus.

Officials from other schools had similarly harsh reactions. One spokesman from a school ranked below NMSU called the headline "intentionally inflammatory" and something that was a "step in the wrong direction for crime prevention."

He also quoted a passage from Campus Security Magazine: "When crime stats are higher, it often means the campus in question is realistically dealing with its crime problem and is dedicated to transparency. In essence, more reports of crime very often mean members of the campus community are better informed about threats to their safety."

Lopez said he hopes the controversial article and the perception it generates don't deter those in the community from reporting crimes.

Said Lopez: "We would like to encourage people to continue to report any crimes they become aware of."

James Staley may be reached at 575-541-5476. Follow him on Twitter @auguststaley.

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